Visual aid for a basketball hoop

ABSTRACT

A visual aid mounts to a basketball rim for shooting practice to help focus the shooter’s eyes near the back of the rim, behind the center of the rim. The visual aid is shock absorbing so as to dissipate forces of impact when the ball hits the device, so as to maintain the device in position inside the net. The device includes straps which are slidably mounted through slots in the body so as to be resilient or elastic during ball impact. Notches in the straps prevent the straps from inadvertently pulling out of the slots upon ball impact.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation in Part Application of U.S. Serial No. 17/247,192, filed Dec. 3, 2020, which claims priority to 16/597,363, filed Oct. 9, 2019, which claims priority to Provisional Application U.S. Serial No. 62/743,771, filed on Oct. 10, 2018, which are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONS

Shooting a basketball well takes a lot of practice and repetition. Coaches often recommend to players to focus on the back of the rim, for example, when shooting free throws. Various prior art devices exist to help a player during shooting practice to focus their eyes on the rim during a shot, such as Applicant’s prior patents, 4,991,837 and 5,156,394. These devices provide a visual guide attached to the rim which effectively increases the dimensions of the rim for enhanced visualization during the shot. However, one problem with these prior art devices is maintaining the proper position of the device at all times, without becoming dislodged, misaligned, or detached, which may result by the impact of the basketball on the visual guide. For example, a ball shot from the three-point line has a speed of approximately 18 mph. The standard size basketball weighs 22 oz. With this weight and speed of the basketball, prior art visual aids did not absorb the force of impact from the ball and moved from an initial desired position on the rim. Therefore, there is a need for a visual aid which overcomes the problems of the prior art.

Based upon a computer simulation of millions of shots by free-throw shooters, various factors affect the chance of successfully shooting a basketball through the hoop. This study calculated an optimal trajectory for free throws, with a target spot 2.8 inches behind the center of the basket. This study, conducted by North Carolina State University, and published by Reuters on Jul. 21, 2012 with the title “Nothing but Net? Basketball science has more answers,” explained that the shooting target point is not intuitive, and aiming for the center of the basket produces unpredictable bounces. The conventional rim has an 18 inch diameter, and with the ideal ball shooting aiming spot being 2.8 inches behind the center of the rim, the back of the conventional basketball is just over an inch from the back of the rim. The study further explained that aiming for the center of the basket increases the chance of hitting the front of the rim and missing the shot, while the ball has a better chance of going through the rim if the shooter aims between the backboard and the center of the hoop, rather than at the center of the hoop.

Accordingly, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of a visual aid for basketball hoop which retains the desired mounted position below and adjacent the rim during use.

Another objective of the present invention is a provision of a basketball hoop visual aid which is resiliently or elastically mounted so as to absorb the impact of a basketball.

Yet another objective of the present invention is the provision of a visual aid target removably attachable to a basketball rim so as to reside within the net adjacent a back portion of the rim to provide a visual aid or to a person shooting a basketball.

Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a visual aid target for a basketball rim having a one-piece construction.

Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a basketball hoop visual aid having a body with integral straps that extend over and behind the rim with strap ends insertable into slots in the body for mounting the visual aid to the basketball hoop.

Yet another objective of the present invention is the provision of a visual aid to provide a target for basketball shooters which has a keyed slot mounting mechanism for detachably mounting the device to the hoop.

A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a visual aid which can be quickly and easily mounted on a basketball hoop for shooting practice.

Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a visual target attachable to a basketball rim so as to reside within the net and extending horizontally below the rim.

Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of an elongated visual aid target which extends 180° along the back and opposite sides of the rim.

Yet another objective of the present invention is the provision of an elongated visual aid target for a basketball hoop, wherein the target has a tapering height from the midpoint to the opposite ends, such that the target at the back of the rim is larger than the top target on opposite sides of the rim.

A further objective of the present invention is the provision of an elongated visual aid target which is curved downwardly in opposite directions from the midpoint to the opposite ends, so that the target extends parallel to the rim when mounted to the rim.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a visual aid target which attaches to a basketball rim inside the net and having an upper edge approximately 1 inch below and 1 inch inside the rim, so as to create a secondary inner “rim” inside the standard rim which provides a visual target to focus a shooter’s eyes.

These and other objectives have become apparent from the following description of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the basketball hoop visual aid, before installation on the hoop or rim.

FIG. 2 is a rear plan view of the visual aid with the mounting straps inserted through the mounting slots, but without the rim.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the visual aid shown in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the visual aid shown in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the visual aid mounted on a basketball rim in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 5A is an enlarged side view of the visual aid shown in FIG. 5 .

FIG. 6 is a top view of an alternative embodiment of the visual aid device mounted on the rim, in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a close up of the connectors for the visual aid shown extending around the rim.

FIG. 8 is another close-up view of the visual aid mounted on the rim.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the elongated embodiment of the basketball hoop visual aid shown in FIG. 6 , before mounting on the rim.

FIG. 10 is a view of another embodiment of the visual aid mounted on the rim.

FIG. 11 is a bottom plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 10 , looking upwardly through the bottom of the net.

FIG. 12 is a close-up side view of the visual aid shown in FIG. 10 .

FIG. 13 is a view of the visual aid shown in FIG. 10 before the visual aid is mounted on the rim.

FIG. 14A is a plan view of one of the straps, with a second embodiment head.

FIG. 14B is a view showing the head of FIG. 14A partially inserted through a slot in the body.

FIG. 14C is a view showing the head of FIG. 14A fully inserted through the body slot.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The visual aid for basketball hoops is generally designated by the reference numeral 10 in the drawings. The aid 10 is mounted to the rim 12 of the basketball hoop to provide an enlarged visual target for a player shooting a ball. In the preferred embodiment, the visual aid 10 resides substantially within the net 14 of the hoop or basket at an elevation immediately below the rim.

In one embodiment, shown in FIGS. 1-5A, the visual aid 10 comprises a body or panel 16 with a pair of spaced apart vertical straps 18, which mount the visual aid 10 to the rim 12. The straps 18 are integrally formed with the body 16 Each of the straps 18 include an outer or terminal end 20 which extends or wraps over the rim 12 and is then secured to the body 16. In a preferred embodiment, the ends 20 of the straps 18 have a head 22 with a reduced diameter neck 24 adapted to be inserted through a T-slot 26 in the body 16, with a vertical leg 28 and a horizontal top 30, as best shown in FIGS. 1-4 . As an alternative to the T-shaped slot 26, the slot may have a “t” or cross shape, or may be a horizontal slot or a vertical slot or a curved slot. The slot may be changed to a hole having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the head 22. The inside corners of the T or “t” slot may be square or rounded. Also, the slot may be aligned with the straps 18 (i.e., with the slot leg parallel to the strap axis), or offset with respect to the straps (i.e., the slot leg angularly positioned relative to the strap axis). To mount the device 10 to the rim 12, the strap 18 is twisted 90° so that the head 22 can be pushed through the vertical leg 28 of the T-slot 26, and then moved up and twisted into the horizontal top 30 of the slot 26 for retention.

The width or diameter of the strap head 22 is less than the length of the vertical slot leg 28 and greater than the length of the horizontal slot top 30, so that the head 26 will not pull out of the slot top 30. The neck 24 of the strap is narrower than the width of the top 30 so that the strap 18 is slidable through the slot 26. This slidable connection of the straps 18 to the body 16 allows the visual aid 10 to absorb the forces of impact from the ball. Thus, the slot 26 is in the form of a keyed connection which captures the enlarged head 22 of the strap 18, while the reduced diameter neck 24 is free to slide within the slot to absorb impact from a ball hitting the visual aid 10.

The straps 18 are sufficiently long so as to be loosely fit over the rim 12. The straps 18 are resilient so as to provide an elastic connection between the visual aid 10 and the rim 12. When the visual aid 10 is in a neutral or at rest position, the body 16 resides inside the net 14 adjacent the rim 12. When a basketball goes through the rim 12 and impacts the body 16, the straps 18, slide through the slots 26 such that the straps 18 deforms (vertically and/or horizontally), so as to absorb the impact of the ball. The resiliency of the straps 18 and slidable mounting to the body 16 allows the visual aid 10 to return to the normal, at rest position, so as to be ready for the next shot, without the visual aid 10 becoming misplaced, misaligned, or detached.

The first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-5A has a relatively narrow width so as to extend less than 90 degrees around the rim 12. In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6-9 , the visual aid 10A has an elongated body 16A and a plurality of straps 18A for mounting the device 10A to the rim 12. The ends of the straps include opposite side notches 24A to form a narrowed neck, similar to the neck 24 of the straps 18. After the straps 18A are inserted through the slots 26, the enlarged head 22A retains the strap 18A in the body 16A.

An option for use on the visual aids 10, 10A is a secondary horizontal strap 34 which can extend outside the net 14 or be woven through the net chords to further retain the visual aid 10, 10A in position. The strap 34 has opposite ends having an increased diameter head 36 and a decreased diameter neck 38, with the head 36 being inserted through a T-slot 40 for retention to the body 16, 16A. The T-slot 40 for each end of the secondary strap 34, is generally oriented perpendicular to the T-slot 26, with a horizontal leg 42 and a vertical top 44. The head 22A of the secondary strap 34 is turned to insert through the horizontal leg 42, and then slid and turned into the top 44 of the slot 40 for retention.

The body 16 can be various colors, or clear (as depicted in the drawings), or have other visually enhancing features, such as brightly colored decals 48, to focus the shooter’s eyes on the back of the rim 12. Also, the body 16A preferably does not extend more than 180 degrees, such that the front of the rim 12 is not obstructed, or otherwise cause the shooter to focus on the front of the rim, rather than the back of the rim. Preferably, the visual aid 10 is made of plastic so as to be light weight and flexible, though other materials can also be used. Also, in a further alternative embodiment, the body 16 may reside outside the net 14, though such position moves the focus for the shooter’s eyes further outward from the inside back edge of the rim.

It is understood that the back of the rim is relative to the shooter’s position on the court. When the shooter shooting from the front, such as near the free throw line, the visual aid is positioned on the back of the rim nearest the backboard. If a shooter wants to practice shots from a corner of the court, the visual aid 10, 10A can be moved approximately 90 degrees in either direction so as to be positioned on the far side of the rim relative to the shooter’s position on the court, as shown in FIG. 5 . Thus, in all positions, the forward portion of the rim closest to the shooter is open and free from the visual aid 10, 10A. Also, the length of the visual aid may be varied, from relatively short, less than 90°, as seen in FIGS. 1-5A, or longer to approximately 180°, as seen in FIG. 9 .

A third embodiment 10B, shown in FIGS. 10-13 , is elongated so as to extend approximately 180° along the back and sides of the rim 12, while keeping the front of the rim open. The visual aid 10B may include multiple circles 110, or concentric circles along its length, to provide a more focused target for the shooter, depending upon the shooter’s position on the court. The visual target 10B is tapered in opposite directions from its center or midpoint toward each of the opposite ends. Thus, the center target circle 110C has a 4 inch diameter and the end target circles 110E have a 3 inch diameter. The target 10B is also curved from the center midpoint to the opposite ends, with a curvature radius of approximately 25° along the longitudinal axis 112 in FIG. 13 . Also, the straps 18B of the target 10B are longer toward the center and shorter toward the ends. For example, the center straps may be 8 inches long, while the outer straps are 6 inches long. The curvature of the body 16B and the length of the straps 18B position the body 16B horizontally and parallel to the rim 12 when the target 10B is mounted to the rim. This configuration also positions the upper edge of the body 16B approximately 1 inch downwardly from the rim 12 and 1 inch inside the rim 12. The curved or sloped longitudinal axis 112 of the target 10B also helps to focus the shooter’s eyes approximately 1 inch below the rim 12 when shooting the basketball. As seen in FIG. 11 , the target 10B resides within the net without obstructing a ball passing through the net. Thus, an imaginary vertical cylinder extending upwardly through the bottom of the net is free from any interference by the visual aid target 10B, as with visual aids 10 and 10A. The position of the targets 10, 10A and 10B inside the net and adjacent the rim help focus the shooter’s eye, for a better chance of making the basket, as confirmed by the North Carolina State University computer simulation.

FIGS. 14A-C show another embodiment for the head of the straps 18,18A for the visual aids 10, 10A, 10B. The head 22 includes a C-shaped notch 114 on each edge or side of the strap. The strap head 22 can be squeezed or deformed to pass through the slot as seen in FIG. 14B. The notches 114 prevent accidental withdrawal of the head 22 through the slot when the visual guide is impacted by a ball. The notches 14 also define a stop point on each strap as the strap slides in the body slot upon impact by a ball. The stop points of the notches still allow the head to pull through the body slot, as a safety feature, for example, if a player’s hand got caught in the visual guide. The curved shape of the notch 114 eliminates stress points, such as in a square corner notch, and thereby prevents the strap from tearing at the notches upon ball impact.

In use, when a basketball hits the inside of the rim 12, the neck of the straps slide within the slots, and/or the straps 18, 18A deform or deflect, so as to absorb the impact of the ball, which allows the visual guide 10, 10A, and 10B to reset to its normal or neutral position after the impact dissipates. In comparison, the prior art straps do not deflect upon impact from the ball, and would break or pop off the rim, thereby precluding the visual guide from returning to its normal position after the ball passes through the net. The straps on the visual guide of the present invention have an outward pressure resulting from sliding of the strap, whereas the prior art straps had an inward pressure resulting from the rigid, non-sliding of the straps or clips. Thus, Applicant’s present visual shooting guide 10, 10A, and 10B is an improvement over his prior art shooting guide, and repeatedly returns to its normal position after impact by basketballs.

The invention has been shown and described above with the preferred embodiments, and it is understood that many modifications, substitutions, and additions may be made which are within the intended spirit and scope of the invention. From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A basketball target system, comprising: a basketball backboard; a rim mounted to the backboard and having a center point; a net attached to and hanging downwardly from the rim, and having upper and lower ends defining a height for the net; an elongated body positioned inside the net, adjacent the rim, the body having a height shorter than the net height so as to reside above the lower end of the net; a plurality of spaced apart straps extending upwardly from the body and over the rim, with each strap having an end with an enlarged head and an elongated narrowed neck for connecting to the body; a plurality of slots in the body through which the heads of the straps extend to slidably capture the necks in the slots so as to mount the body to the rim with the body extending horizontally and curving to follow the curvature of the rim to provide a visual target adjacent the rim and spaced behind the center point of the rim from a perspective of a basketball shooter; the necks moving within the slots to absorb impact forces when a ball hits the body; the body having a longitudinal axis; the straps having longitudinal axes extending in the same direction to one another and perpendicular to the body longitudinal axis; and the body and straps being formed as one piece.
 2. The basketball target system of claim 1 wherein the body has a midpoint and opposite ends, and the body slopes downwardly from the midpoint to the opposite ends.
 3. The basketball target system of claim 1 wherein the body is tapered from a midpoint towards opposite ends.
 4. The basketball target system of claim 1 wherein the straps slide in the slots and the body moves from an initial at-rest position when a basketball hits the body, and then the body resets to the initial a- rest position inside the net.
 5. The basketball target system of claim 1 wherein the straps have sufficient length to extend loosely over the rim and thereby provide a spring action to the body when a basketball engages the body.
 6. The basketball target system of claim 1 wherein the body extends approximately 180 degrees around the rim.
 7. The basketball target system of claim 1 wherein the body is elongated and the straps are longer at a midpoint of the body and shorter at opposite ends of the body.
 8. The basketball target system of claim 7 wherein each slot is T-shaped.
 9. The basketball target system of claim 1 further comprising a secondary strap, separate from the plurality of straps, removably connected to the body, with the secondary strap weavable through the net to connect the body to the net.
 10. The basketball target system of claim 9 further comprising a pair of T-shaped slots to receive and retain opposite ends of the secondary strap.
 11. The basketball target system of claim 1 wherein each strap includes a curved notch on opposite edges at a juncture of the head and the neck.
 12. A basketball target system, comprising: a basketball hoop having a circular rim with a center point and a net having open top and bottom ends defining a net height; a one-piece member having a body attached to the rim by a plurality of straps so that the body is curved horizontally inside the net, adjacent the rim and behind the center point of the rim, and the body having a height shorter than the net height so that the member does not extend below the bottom end of the net; and the straps extending perpendicularly from the body and over the rim and then downwardly back to the body for connection to the body; and the body having opposite ends, sloped downwardly in opposite directions from a midpoint to the opposite ends.
 13. The basketball target system of claim 12 wherein the body has a height tapering downwardly from the midpoint to each of the opposite ends.
 14. The basketball target system of claim 12 wherein each slot is T-shaped and the end of each strap has an enlarged head which fits through the T-shaped slot for retention in the T-shaped slot.
 15. The basketball target system of claim 12 wherein the straps each include an elongated narrowed neck and enlarged head for retention in the slot, with C-shaped notches on opposite edges of the neck adjacent the head.
 16. The basketball target system of claim 15 wherein the straps slide in the slots when the body is hit by a ball to absorb impact forces of the ball and to return the body to the initial position, and the notches provide a stop point to prevent the head from being pulled through the slot when a ball impacts the body.
 17. The basketball target system of claim 12 further comprising a secondary strap removably connected to the body, with the secondary strap weavable through the net to connect the body to the net.
 18. The basketball target system of claim 12 wherein the straps form deformable loops extending around the rim.
 19. A method of attaching a target to a basketball rim and net hanging downwardly from the rim, the rim being circular and the net having open upper and lower ends, the method, comprising; positioning a target body horizontally inside the rim and inside the net, adjacent the rim and apart from a center point of the rim, and wholly above a lower end of the net; extending a plurality of straps on the target body around the rim and attaching ends of the straps to the target body; whereby an imaginary cylinder extending upwardly through the open bottom of the net and coaxially with the center point of the rim is unobstructed by the target body and straps.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein the body is positioned approximately 1″ inside the rim and 1″ below the rim. 